Non-standing Heads of 17 Regional Election Commissions Report Average Attendance of Once a Month

Amid ongoing controversy over the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections, it has been revealed that the non-standing heads of the 17 regional election commissions have been reporting to work only about once a month.

According to data received today (June 18) by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Chae Hyun-il from the National Election Commission (NEC), the 17 regional election commission heads recorded an annual average of 14.2 days of attendance between 2022 and 2025.

This averages out to approximately 1.2 days of attendance per month at their respective regional election commissions.

For this year, the average number of days the regional election commission heads reported to work was 11.4 days.

Between 2022 and 2025, former NEC Chairperson Roh Tae-ak recorded an annual average of 49.8 days of attendance, while non-standing members of the central NEC recorded an annual average of 19 days during the same period.

This year, former Chairperson Roh reported to work for 45 days before resigning on the 5th, taking responsibility for the ballot shortage incident during the June 3 local elections.

The current system is structured so that the NEC chairperson is typically held by a Supreme Court Justice, and the heads of local election commissions are concurrently held by the heads of the respective local courts, all in non-standing capacities.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.